Closure for containers



Oct. 21 1924.

W. A. LORENZ CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed May 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 21 1924'. 1,512,348

w. LORENZ CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed May 2 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

LosuRE FOR CONTAINERS.

Application filed May 2, 1923. Serial No. 636,266.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Closures for Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved means for closing tops of jars, tumblers or other containers. This closure is adapted for sealing containers, containing cold products without the use of vacuum; or'for sealing receptacles by the well known vacuum process.

The hermetic sealing of containers of the class usually employed, presents difliculties which are quite serious. These comprise the proper seating of the cap and gasket on the jar rim and holding them in place while pumping the air out of the container.

Thi difliculty is increased when substances are to be hermetically sealed which contain much air, like peanut butter. The air causes the substances to ooze out beyond the Y gasket and causes the cap to assume a crooked position on the container after the sealing operation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a closure which will hold the gasket upon the rim, with just enough pressure, to

prevent the contents from oozing out, during the sealing operation. Another object is to provide mechanical means for holding the are gasket on the container. These two objects accomplished by providing several spring catches in the cap. These are formed in the cap rim, and are sprung inwardly, so as to engage a first shoulder on the container. When the sealing operation is performed, the cap is forced downwardly to compress the gasket on the rim of the container, and the spring catches will then engage a secondary, shoulder, so as to hold that cap by this mechanical means, in addition to the atmospheric pressure exerted'upon the cap.

Another object comprises the packing of hot products by the well known vacuum process. This is accomplished by heating the container; pouring the hot product into the container; putting the cap in place; putting a weight on the top of thecap until the contents ofthe container cools, andthereby engaging the catches with the jar shoulder.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view of a rectangular piece of metal with four corners trimmed off. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a cap, with a gasket placed upon the container, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of gasket and cap on the container, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of a cap, gasket and container in sealing position taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a plan view of a sheet of metal from which a cap is to be formed. Fig. 6 shows a cap with a gasket in sealing position. upon a container taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 shows a cap, a gasket and a container, taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 shows the parts of Fig. 7 in sealed position. sectional view taken on the line 99 of Fig. 5, showing a portion of the cap only. Fig. 10 shows a method of processing, the containers being placed in boiling water. Figrim 13 and two shoulders 14 and 15. The

cap 16 produced by bending the rim 17 downwardly from the dotted circles, shown, is formed out of the blank 18 (Fig. 1) the cap may be formed from a blank 19 (Fig. 5).

This blank may have four edges 20 cut away, or the cap may be made from a complete disk of metal.

Fig. 1 shows three lengths of catches: short catches 22, medium catches 23, and long catches 24.

In Fig. 5 two lengths of catches are shown, as at 23 and 25. In Figs. 6 and 9, the cap is shown bent outwardly.

The cap may also be bent outwardly at intervals, as at 26, 27 and 28. These bends are in the form of dents open at the lower end, and are for the purpose of permitting the insertion of a tool between the cap and the jar so that the cap can be pried fro place.

The container 12 of Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is provided with one shoulder only, 29, whereas in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, two shoulders 14 and 15 are provided. 30 shows the gasket in its unsealed position, and- 31 shows this gasket in the sealed position. When a cap 16, which is provided with different lengths of catches as 22, 23 and 24, Fig. 1 is placed With its uncompressed gasket upon a con;

Fig. 9 shows a 1'0 l is long then catches 22 can engage the shoulshoulder 29, so as to hold the cap on the container as shown in Fi 2. One or other of the two catches22 an means for engaging under the shoulder 29, if the length of the shoulder 29 varies in depth from the top of the container. That is, if that shoulder is short, catches 23 can engage the shoulder 29; or if the shoulder der, thus providing for irregularity in the jar or container.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the cap in that position has been pressed down and the jar has been sealed. This compresses the gasket to the position 31 and enables the long catches 24 to engage the shoulder 29, and thus adding the mechanical holding devices to the atmospheric pressure that holds the cap down.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the containers 12 are rovided with two shoulders14 and 15. In ig. 5 two lengths of catches 23 and 25 are shown. When the cap 16 and its gasket 30, is placed upon the container 12, the catches 23 Or 25 will engage the first shoulder 14; and when the gasket 30 has been compressed to 31 as in Fig. 8, the catches 23 or 25 will engage the secondary shoulder 15, depending upon the degree of pressure exerted on the cap; or depending upon the differences in shoulder len hs.

For cold sea ing, the cap 16 is merely pressed down, until some of the catches engage one of the shoulders on the container, and the gasket is compressed as shown in Figs. 4 and 8.

In processing foods the containers 12. are provided with caps 16 and gaskets, and are placed in a kettle provided with boiling water 36. Upon the caps Weights 37 are placed. The kettle is placed upon a stove and the contents may be boiled. Then the containers 12 with the weights are removed, as shown in Fig. 11, and left to cool with the weights on the caps. The contraction of the air inside the container will cause the cap to settle down on the gasket, and permm the catches to engage the shoulders on the container, so as to lock them, in addition to the atmospheric seal.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination a container having a plurality of shoulders spaced at difi'erent distances from the mouth of the container,

23 are to provide and a cap having a rim provided with inwardly bent resillent catches adapted to suecessively engage said shoulders when the cap is forced into place.

2. In combination a container havingv a plurality of shoulders spaced at different distances from the mouth of the container, and a closure comprising a cap having a rim provided with a plurality of sets of resilient inwardly bent catches, the effective ends of the catches of the several sets being in different planes, whereby to successively engage said shoulders.

3. In combination, a container having a plurality of shoulders slightly spaced apart at different distances from the mouth of the container, a cap having a rim provided with inwardly bent resilient catches adapted to successively engage said shoulders when the cap is forced in place, and a gasket between the mouth of said container and said cap and compressed there-between when said catches are in locking engagement with any of said shoulders.

4. In combination, a container having a plurality of shoulders slightly spaced apart at different distances from the mouth of the container; a closure comprisin a cap having a rim provided with a plurafity of sets of resilient inwardly bent catches, the effective ends of said catches of the several sets being in different planes whereby to successively engage said shoulders, and a gasket between said container and closure, said shoulders and said catches being so constructed and arranged that said gasket is compressed when any of said catches are engaged with any of said shoulders.

5. In combination, a container having a plurality of shoulders slightly spaced apart at different distances from the mouth of the container and successively decreasing in diameter, a cap having a rim provided with inwardly bent resilient catches adapted to successively engage said shoulders when the cap is forced in place, and a gasket interposed between the mouth of said container and said cap and adapted to be compressed therebetween when said catches engage any of said shoulders.

\ Signed at Hartford, Conn., this 27th day of April, 1923.

' WILLIAM A. LORENZ. Witnesses:

D. MAUDE SMITH, LILLIAN M. TAYLOR. 

